


Heart by Heart

by howlsmovingiceskates



Series: Murder Husbands [2]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxious Katsuki Yuuri, Confident Katsuki Yuuri, Dorks in Love, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Married Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Murder Husbands, Protective Victor Nikiforov, can this be considered to have temporary character death? idk tbh, desperate viktor nikiforov, do not copy to another site, especially georgi, i couldn't resist the princess bride references in this, lots of fluff, mentions of torture and murder, no beta we die like men, poor Georgi, rip to anyone who tries to talk to viktor, viktor and yuuri have a little fight, viktor is a man on a mission
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:42:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26647717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/howlsmovingiceskates/pseuds/howlsmovingiceskates
Summary: Yuuri gets kidnapped after a mission gone wrong. Viktor is left to search and pray he finds Yuuri alive.
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov
Series: Murder Husbands [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1933315
Comments: 9
Kudos: 118





	Heart by Heart

Yuuri slams the door behind him, stalking outside of the apartment building and down the street. He swears Viktor just doesn’t _listen_ sometimes, and it frustrates him to no end. Unable to listen to Viktor anymore, Yuuri decides to go outside with the excuse of stopping by the convenience store on the corner of the street before they have to leave.

He steps into the store, keeping his head down and schooling his features. It’d do him no good to look as angry as he is. He needs to make this fast. Cao Bin got injured, and as it stands, they don’t have enough first aid supplies or food to care for him on the way out of the country. He’s been avoiding going on a grocery run, but now he’s glad for the excuse to get out. He won’t get much, just enough to get them by for a few more days while they figure out what to do.

Yuuri gathers gauze, bandages, ointment, and snacks in his arms, quickly setting them on the counter before they have a chance to slide out of his grip and drop to the floor. The employee barely spares him a glance as he starts ringing things up. Yuuri is grateful, because it’ll make it easier to get out seamlessly. He pulls his wallet out of his back pocket, taking out some cash. He’s not sure how much he gives the employee, but he assumes it’s too much because the kid sighs and starts counting out the amount of change due.

Yuuri fidgets, shifting on his feet. He’s anxious. They haven’t been this close to being caught in a long time, and leaving behind Viktor and an injured partner makes him ansty, even if he is pissed at the former. He never feels good leaving Viktor alone on a mission. Once he knows they’re safe, he’ll feel better. That’s what the fight was about. Viktor wants to move out tonight, but because of Cao Bin, Yuuri think’s it’s better to wait a few days. It’s his anxiety talking, he knows, but something in the back of his head is telling him something will happen, and he doesn’t want to risk anything. 

The employee gives him the change, and it’s too much to fit into his wallet in a few seconds so he drops it in the bag along with the leather pouch. He considers swiping some extra things as he walks out, but the possibility of being caught holds him back. He quickly moves out of the way for the next customer, practically running for the exit.

Cold air hits his face immediately. He’s left staring at the sidewalk as he walks briskly back to the apartment they’ve called home for the last three months, thinking of the pros and cons of leaving tonight versus in three days. On one hand, leaving tonight means less likely being caught, but on another, Cao Bin’s injury will slow them down greatly.

The wind picks up, and he shivers, bringing his arms around himself to try to keep warm. He hears footsteps behind him, raising alarm bells in his head. Before he does anything to alert the person behind him, he takes his glasses off and sticks them in the bag. With both his wallet and glasses in there, Viktor will know something has happened to him if he finds the bag.

He looks up to find somewhere to turn into and lose his tail, but instead comes face to face with someone new. He stops, quickly glancing around to survey his situation. Three men surround him now, each taking steps closer and closer.

Yuuri drops the bag of items to the ground, and prepares for a fight, deeply regretting his current lack of a weapon. The man in front of him is the first to lunge forward, going for his legs. Yuuri jumps to the left to avoid impact, but a fourth person comes out of nowhere and grabs him from behind, holding him still. A cloth comes over his nose and mouth, filling his senses with a sweet odor. Despite his struggles, his body goes limp and his vision blacks out. The last thing he remembers is hoping they haven’t found Viktor.

* * *

When he wakes, he’s strapped to a metal chair that’s been bolted to the floor. He struggles against the shackles around his wrists and ankles, knowing it’s futile but hoping anyways. Sometimes the chains are weak, and while Yuuri knows his enemy isn’t dumb, he could at least hope. 

He’s been locked in a room with four cement walls, one heavy duty metal door being the only exit. It’s stuffy with nothing to properly ventilate the room. Yuuri’s just glad it’s not damp. He’s been in worse positions before, but he doesn’t feel inclined to breathe moldy air. He’ll get out of this soon. Probably. Though there’s a little voice in the back of his head running through every possible _what if_ scenario that’s not helping him be optimistic.

_What if Viktor was taken too? What if Viktor is dead? What if Yuuri is murdered on the spot as soon as that door opens? What if the rescue mission to get him out fails horribly? What if he never makes it out? What if he dies while this place gets raided? What if Viktor is too mad to come for him? What if...what if…_

Yuuri tries not to let his panic spiral, but his breathing picks up and he’s forced to close his eyes to push back tears. He thinks of Viktor, trying to calm his fraying nerves. Viktor would be confident that he can get himself out. Viktor would smile at him with his stupidly beautiful heart shaped smile, take his hand, kiss him, and tell him he’s got this. Viktor, who takes a sharpie and draws three dots on the inside of his fourth finger when they don’t wear their rings. Viktor, who squeezes his hand three times in succession while they’re on missions. Viktor, who blinks three times, who taps three times, who repeats phrases three times, each a different way to discreetly say _I love you_. Even with his mind telling him otherwise, his heart reminds him Viktor will come.

The door opening brings him out of his head, and he opens his eyes to see a large man entering the room. The heavy metal slams shut, the sound reverberating through Yuuri’s body. He smiles, unphased, but the man doesn’t return the gesture. 

“Who do you work for?” The man asks gruffly, circling around the chair.

“Getting straight to the point, I see.” Yuuri comments nonchalantly, watching the man with his eyes.

“Is it Cao Bin?” He stops in front of Yuuri.

“What?” Yuuri asks, feeling the breath get knocked out of him. 

“That’s your boss, innit? Don’t lie, we know you’re working with him. We couldn’t get that backstabbing bastard, but you’ll have the information we need too.”

Viktor...he left Viktor alone with Cao Bin. Bile rises up in his throat, nauseating him. He doesn’t say anything, letting the man think what he wants to while he realizes how grave of a mistake walking out had been. Of course, Yuuri’s silence led to the first punch to his jaw, knocking his head to the side. He stretches out his jaw, trying to chase the uncomfortable pain away.

“Tell me where he is!” The man demands.

“I don’t know.” Yuuri stares ahead, a sinking feeling settling in the bottom of his stomach. A second punch comes, hitting him in the nose this time. He hears a crack, feels pain blossom around his nose, but doesn’t flinch. 

“Bullshit.” The man spits, “Tell me where he is!”

“I told you, I don’t know.” Yuuri says as smoothly as he can. He doesn’t have a damn clue where that man is now, but even if he did, he wouldn’t tell. He might despise Cao Bin, but Viktor could still be with him. Yuuri will not disclose their last known location and risk his husband’s safety like that.

The man starts relentlessly beating him. He takes the hits, knowing he deserves each and every one of them. He shouldn’t have left the safety of the apartment, without a weapon no less. He shouldn't have left while still mad at Viktor. He shouldn’t have left Viktor alone with that traitor. 

Yuuri’s not sure how much time passes in that room, but each time someone comes to interrogate him, they find a new way to torture him. His energy is spent before he can even think of escaping. He knows his remaining time is limited, so he spends every waking minute Viktor knows how much he loves him.

* * *

Viktor sighs, throwing his hands up in the air as he watches Yuuri walk out the door. He knows Yuuri is worried about caring for an injured person, but it’s better to get a move on than it is to wait! He thought his husband would understand that, but apparently not. Sure, maybe he could’ve been softer with his words, but they can’t wait to be attacked. He turns on his heel and starts packing, planning to be ready to leave when Yuuri gets back. He won’t back down from his stance. Their safety depends on it. 

As he works on throwing their things together, a cold chill runs through his entire being, causing him to drop the mug in his hand. The ceramic shatters, pieces flying everywhere. His gut fills with unrelenting dread and anxiety. Something is wrong. Viktor knows something bad has happened. He feels it in his soul, an indescribable panic settling into his bones. He has never felt like this, and that terrifies him. 

“Viktor?” Cao Bin calls from the other room, “You good?”

He stumbles out of the bedroom, grasping onto the doorframe, “Something’s wrong with Yuuri.” He breathes out, having trouble getting air to his lungs. He remembers his last words to Yuuri, _”Fine! Whatever! We can just sit and fuck around while waiting to be murdered!”_

He clearly remembers the hurt shining in Yuuri’s eyes as he replied, _”I can’t do this right now. I’m leaving.”_

He itched to follow him, but decided against it. He regrets that decision now. He could’ve protected him. To make it worse, he knows Yuuri left his gun on the bed, leaving him weaponless. Yuuri’s a skilled martial artist, but if he got mobbed, he wouldn’t have stood a chance...

“How can you be sure? He went out to get some air. You’re exaggerating.” Cao Bin dismisses, turning his attention back to his laptop. “You’re just making things up because you’re mad at him.”

“No. That doesn’t matter. Something’s wrong. I have to find him.” Viktor turns back to the room, grabbing his gun and sticking it in his holster against his hip. His burner phone rests in his back pocket, jacket all but forgotten as he rushes out of the run down building. 

His eyes dart back and forth, looking for any sign of Yuuri. The streets are pitch black and eerily quiet. He’s panicking, barely able to hold back from calling out Yuuri’s name as he dashes down sidewalks. He only halts his search for his husband when his feet make contact with something on the ground, and a resounding crunch echoes through the night.

Bending down, Viktor sees it’s a bag. He gingerly picks it up and sticks his hand inside to feel it’s contents. He can tell there’s money, a wallet, and some items he can’t quite determine in the bag. His heart sinks as his hands grab what he knows are glasses. He takes the broken frames he’s so intimately familiar with out of the bag, dropping the plastic as if he’s been burnt. His mind runs a thousand miles an hour, trying to figure out what happened while his body reacts to the realization Yuuri’s been kidnapped.

Tears sting his eyes, and he reaches for his phone, scrambling to dial Yakov. It only takes a few seconds before there’s an answer. Viktor doesn’t even greet his senior properly, the words urgently tumbling out of his mouth, “Yuuri’s been taken.”

Viktor picks the bag up again, stalking towards the old apartment building, talking with Yakov and Celestino along the way. He won’t let them wait until he’s relocated to start a rescue mission like they want. They need to get a search party and rescue team together as soon as they can. They can’t afford to dilly dally.

As Viktor comes up to the building, he sees Cao Bin hobbling his way out and frowns. He runs to catch up, roughly grabbing the man’s arm and asking, “What are you doing?”

Cao Bin looks at him in shock, fumbling for words. Viktor looks over his appearance, and sees the duffle bag in his hands. He’s running away. “You-” Viktor fights for words, anger rising in his chest, “You did this.” He accuses, watching for the smaller man's reactions. 

Cao Bin’s eyebrows raise ever so slightly, and Viktor can feel him stiffen under his grip. That’s all the answer he needs before he’s shoving Cao Bin back into the building, hauling him up the building careless of his cries of pain. He ignores his phone in favor of bringing the traitor back to the apartment.

He thrusts the man into the living space, feeling sick satisfaction as he whimpers and falls to the ground. His heart pounds in his ears and all he can see is red. Unable to resist the temptation, he attacks the sniveling man. He kicks Cao Bin’s abdomen, where he knows the man sustained a stab wound the other day. He grins at the pleas and sounds of despair coming from the backstabber beneath his foot. When he gets bored of kicking, he falls to his knees and straddles the man, punching repeatedly. His knuckles sting and bleed, but he doesn’t stop, can’t stop, until Cao Bin’s left eye is swollen shut, his nose broken, and teeth chipped. It’s so easy to lose himself in anger, but for now, he holds back from beating the man to death. 

Using the back of his hand to wipe his mouth, Viktor stands, satisfied with his work. He walks into his and Yuuri’s shared room, grabbing the rope he had packed and coming out again to tie Cao Bin up. He tightens the rope as much as he can around his wrists and ankles, hoping he’ll try to escape so he can break his wrists. 

Now that Cao Bin is taken care of, crying and begging for mercy, Viktor calls Yakov and Celestino back, informing them of the breach in security he’s discovered. They decide Viktor and Cao Bin will stay where they are until backup can arrive, which won’t be for a few hours. From there they’ll relocate Cao Bin to the nearest facility while Viktor moves to a different part of town.

Things move faster than they normally do in these situations. Viktor’s sure it’s because he has not been holding back on releasing his wrath. The only person who hasn’t been on the receiving end of Viktor’s anger is Yakov, because Yakov knows what Viktor is going through, and has been able to help satiate his despair. He’s heard people whisper behind his back, about how scared they are for when they find Yuuri. They’re all so sure Yuuri’s already dead, but Viktor knows his husband. Yuuri is strong. He’s not dead yet. He doesn’t want to think about what will happen if they get there too late.

Days pass, and with the help of Phichit hacking the CCTV and an aggressively vicious Viktor interrogating Cao Bin, they’re able to locate Yuuri. They learn too that Yuuri’s kidnappers are out for Cao Bin, but Viktor has laid his claims to the man. He won’t let anyone else take his life.

After five days of agony, Viktor leads the rescue team into an abandoned warehouse twenty miles from town. The building is surprisingly, barely guarded. It’s a maze of rooms, and Viktor only remembers where he’s been because of the small trail of dead bodies he and his team leave. 

As they move further in, the more guards there are. Viktor knows he’s getting close, and he’ll be damned if he lets the cuts he’s sustained on his side from getting to Yuuri. Quickly switching out his now empty magazine clip from his gun and replacing it with a new one, Viktor rounds a corner, met with a heavy set door guarded by two large men. He shoots them in the head in three seconds flat.

Leo stands guard as Viktor and Christophe get the door open, and as soon as it slides away from the wall, Viktor’s heart stops. There, in the middle of the room, sits his Yuuri, looking as bad as Cao Bin. His eyes are closed, and he’s shallowly breathing. Viktor rushes forward, knowing he’s running on a timer. Yuuri is dying, and Viktor’s wasting precious time.

Viktor skips trying to rip the chains and shackles off Yuuri. He shoots at the juncture on the ground where the shackles on his ankles sit. A bullet shell hits Viktor’s neck, and he hisses in pain as it burns, but keeps moving. Chris comes in with a key, and uses it to free Yuuri’s wrists. Someone has to be the rational person, because right now, it definitely isn’t Viktor. 

As soon as Yuuri is no longer attached to the wretched chair, Viktor lifts him up. His arms hold Yuuri behind his knees and under his arms. Viktor positions Yuuri so that his head can rest against his shoulder instead of hanging back. He walks carefully, afraid that any wrong move could seriously hurt his husband. Chris and Leo act as bodyguards for the two of them as they all make their way out of the warehouse, the rest of the team being called to retreat.

“Vitya…” Viktor hears Yuuri’s broken voice, and looks down, seeing his husband stare up at him with one eye half open.

“Shh...it’s okay _lyubov moya_ , I’ve got you.” Viktor whispers, trying to pay attention both to Yuuri and to where he’s going.

They get outside, and there’s a helicopter waiting for them. Fighting the wind, Viktor clutches Yuuri to his chest and gets on. He’s just barely laying Yuuri down on the floor of the chopper to assess his injuries when he notices his husband’s heart isn’t beating and has stopped breathing. 

Viktor wobbles to his knees beside Yuuri, bringing his hands together to start CPR. “Come on baby, don’t give up on me, not now.” Tears sting his eyes as he works on compressions, blurring his vision. He mumbles, counting the amount of compressions he’s doing under his breath. He stops to tilt Yuuri’s chin up, pinches his nose, and breathes into his mouth. When he still hasn’t gotten a pulse, he repeats the process. He feels the crack of a rib under his hands from the force of his compressions. His heart breaks.

Finally, Viktor gets a pulse. It’s weak, but it’s there. He leans back, relief flooding his system. To think that-no. He can’t think that. They’ll get to the facility soon, and there they can give Yuuri the proper medical attention he needs. Viktor watches over Yuuri like a hawk, doing the best he can to make sure he’s comfortable and breathing. Thirty minutes later, they land and Viktor follows Yuuri as far into the hospital wing as the doctors will let him.

* * *

Yuuri first becomes aware of a distant beeping, annoying him to no end. Why the hell hasn’t Viktor turned the alarm off yet? Yuuri would do it himself, but he feels so tired and drained. Moving sounds like the absolute worst thing to do.

The next thing he becomes aware of is the warm weight across his stomach. He knows it’s Viktor without even opening his eyes. Perhaps his husband is just as tired as he is, and that’s why the alarm hasn’t been shut off yet. What were they doing last night?

He tries to open his eyes, but flinches from the intensity of the light. He tries again, this time squinting his eyes and letting them adjust to the brightness. He first catches sight of Viktor, his head awkwardly resting on the bed while his arm is slung over Yuuri, curled around him protectively. He looks exhausted, even in his slumber. Yuuri wants to reach out and rub the furrow out of his brow, but he can’t bring himself to lift his arm.

 _Oh_ , he’s in a hospital. That incessant beeping isn’t an alarm, but rather a heart monitor. Things are starting to make a lot more sense. He wonders if he should wake Viktor, but seeing him asleep makes Yuuri pause. He needs this sleep, Yuuri can tell. He won’t take that away from him.

His mind starts to wander, remembering what happened to him and wondering how he got out of his captors hold. Or...maybe he never did. This could be a hallucination after all. He hasn’t eaten in days, and his body ached in every way possible. Either that or he’s dead, but he really didn’t think the afterlife meant being in a hospital.

He feels the tugs of sleep call for him again, and listens, grateful he got to see Viktor one last time. Even if he isn’t real, it’s more than he could’ve hoped for.

* * *

Viktor wakes up feeling groggy with a crook in his neck. He sits up, his eyes falling on a sleeping Yuuri, and sighs. The doctors say he should wake up soon, but each second that passes trudges by excruciatingly slow. Viktor brings Yuuri’s hand to his lips and kisses it. He stands, stretching out all the aches in his body.

His phone vibrates in his pocket, and he answers, hearing Yakov’s voice boom through the speakers. “Nikiforov, your superiors are getting impatient.”

“I know, but that scumbag doesn’t deserve death. Not yet.” Viktor answers, sitting down in the chair beside Yuuri’s bed and taking his hand, holding onto it like a lifeline. 

“I know you feel that way, but they don’t want him taking up one of the rooms anymore. We’ve got all the information from him, we don’t need him.” Yakov presses, sounding exasperated.

“I don’t care what happens, or what I have to do. I want to be the one to finally put a bullet through his head.” His voice is hoarse, straining as he fights back tears.

“You will, but you can’t-” Whatever else Yakov says, Viktor doesn’t hear it. 

Beautiful brown eyes stare at him, wide and observing. Viktor’s breath hitches, and he mindlessly hangs up on Yakov. He can deal with everything later. “Yuuri,” he breathes, tears pooling in his eyes and silently sliding down his cheeks. He slides from the chair and falls to his knees, clasping Yuuri’s hand with both of his, resting his forehead against them, “you’re awake.”

He feels like he can finally breathe, like the weight of a thousand ton brick has been lifted off his shoulders. Breathing in deeply, he looks back up to Yuuri and kisses the back of his hand. “How are you feeling?” Viktor whispers, unable to move and look away from Yuuri.

“I-” He starts, but coughs instead, whimpering as the action causes him pain. The sound snaps Viktor out of his trance. He gets up and pours Yuuri a cup of water from the pitcher on the bedside table. He helps Yuuri sit up, and presses the cup to his lips while jabbing the _call_ button for the nurses to come. 

“I feel-” Yuuri starts once he’s done with the water, “I feel like a house got dropped on me.”

Despite himself, Viktor laughs, “I bet. You really got beat up.” Viktor cards his hands through Yuuri’s hair, not bothering to turn away even as he hears doors open.

“Ah, Mr. Katsuki-Nikiforov, you’re awake.” a man says, just as a woman comes up behind Viktor to check on Yuuri’s vitals. 

Yuuri nods, and Viktor forces himself to sit in the chair to let the doctor and nurse go over what they need to. The doctor shines a light in Yuuri’s eyes, asking him how he feels. Yuuri answers as much as he can, noticing how much strain it’s putting on him. Viktor wants to tell the doctor to stop, to let his husband rest, but he knows they need to make sure he’s healing properly, and that time is always of the essence. 

“Your injuries are quite severe this time,” the doctor says, and even though Viktor has heard this all before, his heart stops, “you came in with severe blood loss and malnutrition. You’ve got a broken nose and some broken ribs, a combination of what happened while you were held hostage and while administering CPR. We’d like to keep you here for at least another week to monitor your progress, then you can go home and rest there. You’re not to accept any missions for four months, and no difficult assignments for another four. Is that understood?”

“Yes sir.” Yuuri croaks out, trying to nod but wincing instead. Viktor takes his hand in his.

After a few more minutes of checking on Yuuri, the doctor and nurse leave. Viktor peppers his hand in kisses, trying to convey his love in the gentlest way possible. He has so many things to say to Yuuri, and right now his head is a jumbled mess of relief, the need to touch and love, and to seek revenge. 

“I’m so sorry, Yuuri,” Viktor starts after a while of silence, murmuring against the back of Yuuri’s hand. 

“What for?” Yuuri inquires, lacing his fingers with Viktor’s.

“Everything.”

“Viktor, we agreed a long time ago to not apologize when we get hurt on missions.”

“No Yuuri, this time was different.” Viktor looks at him, watching the way an argument starts forming on his lips. He cuts him off before he can start. “I shouldn’t have gotten so upset with you that night. You had your reasons to be concerned, and I was being stupid and didn’t listen. I’m sorry I was so harsh to you, and I’m sorry I didn’t apologize sooner. If I hadn’t been so high strung you wouldn’t have left and you wouldn’t be sitting here-”

“Viktor,” Yuuri interrupts, “this is exactly what we’ve talked about. You can’t play the ‘If I hadn’t’ game. It happened, but we’re still alive, together.”

“Yuuri, my most beautiful darling, I know what you’re saying, but this wasn’t like being a little late to shoot someone and you getting a cut because of it.” He tries to explain, beginning to ramble as he tries to get his words out, “You almost _died_. In my _arms_. Your heart stopped and _I_ had to perform CPR. Your broken ribs are because of _me_. And I could’ve _prevented_ it from happening at all. I _know_ our work is dangerous. I _know_ we agreed not to blame ourselves for mishaps, but Yuuri you looked like Cao Bin in that chair. I’ve had nightmares where instead of torturing Cao Bin, it’s you I’m hurting. I was so close to being too late to save you. So yes, I am sorry I didn’t protect you and do what I should’ve. I’m sorry it’s you in this hospital bed and not me. Knowing that I almost lost you and that you would’ve died with my last words to you being words of anger-“ 

He breaks down then, his head falling to the bed as he clutches onto Yuuri’s hand. His body shakes with sobs, and his nose starts running uncontrollably. Pressure builds up behind his eyes, and he knows he’s going to have a headache, but he doesn’t care. He almost lost his husband, and every time he remembers feeling Yuuri have no heartbeat, his mind spirals out of control.

“Vitya,” Yuuri calls, his voice soothing over Viktor like a balm, “shh...it’s okay. You’ve been so strong. I knew you’d come get me.” He tugs on Viktor’s hand, prompting him to look up. Yuuri opens his arms, inviting Viktor into his embrace.

Viktor stands on wobbly knees, leaning over and taking Yuuri gently in his arms. He’s careful, not wanting to disturb the IV in his arm or hurt him in any way. Yuuri seems to care less about that, as he wraps his arms around Viktor as tightly as he physically can. Viktor lets his head fall to his husband’s shoulder, tears continuing to stream down his face and into the fabric of Yuuri’s hospital gown. Yuuri rubs his back and whispers in his ear, calming him down.

Viktor leans back a little, Yuuri keeping him from moving away completely by pulling him into a kiss. Soft lips meet partially chapped ones, and Viktor takes a brief moment to pride himself in keeping Yuuri’s lips from completely drying out and breaking. To have Yuuri kissing him again is like the sun shining after rain. Viktor pulls away before he gets completely lost in his husband, aching to hold him in his arms again.

“Tell me,” Yuuri mumbles, jutting his bottom lip out as he watches Viktor sit back in the chair and wipe his face with the back of his hands, “what happened to your hands?”

“Oh.” He pauses, staring at the bandages covering his knuckles, “Cao Bin. He betrayed us, blew our cover, got you kidnapped, tried to run away, purposefully got injured so we’d be at a standstill, etcetera etcetera. I’ve been taking my anger out on him these past three weeks.”

“I feel like it’s messed up, but the image of you beating the shit out of someone is really hot.” Yuuri comments, biting his bottom lip.

“Wow,” Viktor grins, “do I need to show you the interrogation videos?” 

“I finally voice one of the ways my husband turns me on, and this is the kind of treatment I get? Teasing?”

“How else am I supposed to show you how much I love you?”

“Oh I don’t know. There’s a thousand different ways you’ve shown me before, you can use one of those instead.”

“Given our physical limitations, I’m reduced to mostly verbal expressions of love.”

“Just because I’m in pain doesn’t mean you can’t touch me, Vitya. These are some strong painkillers.”

“Until you start getting better, I’m not touching you unless you ask me to.”

“Are you sure you can do that?”

“Not really, but if it means not hurting you, I’ll do anything.”

“Vitya, earlier you said-”

“YUURI!” Phichit bursts into the room, “You’re awake!”

Yuuri chuckles, coughing and wincing a little as his friend comes into the room. Viktor desperately wants to take his pain away. “Phichit, it’s good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you awake. You would not believe what an absolute nightmare it’s been while you were out.” Phichit stands at the foot of the bed, eyeing Viktor pointedly.

“What happened?” Yuuri asks, glancing between the two. Viktor rubs the back of his neck, looking everywhere else but at the two men in the room.

“Well for starters, your husband here was probably a tenth of a second away from mass murdering everyone. You should’ve seen him before the actual rescue mission got carried out. He was fucking terrifying.”

“Hey!” Viktor exclaims, pouting, “Nothing was getting done! If I hadn’t threatened to burn everyone’s houses down, we wouldn’t have gotten there in time.”

“Yes that’s true, but you did go too far when you brought Anya up to Georgi.” Phichit raises an eyebrow.

“You brought Anya up?” Yuuri rounds on Viktor, eyes wide.

“You bet your ass he did. Viktor said, and I quote, ‘ _I’m not going to let Yuuri die the way Anya did, so get your sorry ass out there and get me those coordinates_.’” Phichit says. 

“Wow Vitya, you really went there.”

“If I hadn’t, you’d be dead. I’ve already apologized to Georgi, but I’m not going to say I regret pulling the Anya card.”

“Anyways,” Phichit interjects, “it’s been hell. Particularly for a Mr. Cao Bin. You can barely recognize him now.”

“I guess I should use my empty schedule to make cards and apologize for Viktor’s behavior.” Yuuri sighs, though Viktor can tell he’s only saying that because Phichit is here.

“Yeah, rip to literally everyone that was in a ten mile radius of feral Viktor Katsuki-Nikiforov.”

“Anyways,” Viktor claps his hands, hoping to draw attention away from him, “I take it Yakov knows Yuuri’s awake?”

“Yeah, he knew the moment you hung up on him.”

“Damn Vitya, you’re savage.” Yuuri smiles.

“Don’t encourage him!” Phichit cries, “I don’t ever want to deal with that side of him again! So don’t go getting kidnapped either.”

“I’ll try,” Yuuri says, “I’m just glad to have a husband who cares enough about me to take charge and get everyone moving.”

“You two were made for each other.”

“Yes, we were.” Viktor agrees, nodding.

“Anyways, I just wanted to drop by and see how you were doing. It’s nice to see you’re awake.” Phichit says, “I’ve missed my best friend.”

“I’ve missed you too, Phichit.” 

“I’ve gotta get back to my desk before Ciao Ciao kills me, but I’ll see you later!” Phichit waves as he leaves, closing the door behind him.

“You really brought up Anya to Georgi?” Yuuri asks once Phichit leaves.

“Yeah. And honestly I was holding myself back. I wanted to tell him I wasn’t going to be like him and be complacent while you’re missing, but I bit my tongue. I didn’t want to say that and then-” He stops and looks down.

“You did good Vitya.” Yuuri promises.

“Earlier, before Phichit came in, what were you saying?”

“Oh...you were talking about not touching me unless I asked, and I was wondering…” Yuuri stops, chewing on his bottom lip.

“You were wondering?” Viktor prompts.

“I was wondering if that had anything to do with the nightmares you mentioned.”

Viktor blows out a long breath, staring ahead at the wall. “Yeah, it has a lot to do with those.”

“Tell me about them?”

“I don’t even know where to begin.”

“That’s okay. You don’t have to begin anywhere.”

“A lot of it comes from when I found you. The way they treated you is how I’ve been treating Cao Bin, only you were in a slightly better state. And then when I felt myself break your ribs...I can stomach a lot, I can torture and kill someone for no reason other than my own pleasure if I really wanted to, but then I realized I could hurt you too, that I have hurt you, even if it saved your life. I’m terrified that one day I’ll hurt you, and there’ll be no going back from it.”

“You won’t hurt me, Vitya.” Yuuri smiles softly.

“But how do you know?” Viktor asks, eyes searching Yuuri’s face.

“Because every touch you give me is filled with love and tenderness. You married me despite our jobs, despite everyone telling us we could die at any moment. If you were going to hurt me, you would’ve done it already Vitya.”

Viktor lets Yuuri’s words sink into his bones, considering the weight they carried. He doubts the nightmares will ever stop, not with their line of work, but he thinks back to the day they married, the vows they shared, and pushes all negative thoughts aside. He can worry about them again when the morbid dreams strike next, for now, he’s intent on making sure his husband is well taken care of. He smiles at the thought. Two years in and he still can’t believe Yuuri is his husband. It seems like just yesterday Yuuri was ranting about how awful he is and how it’s unfair someone like him has such good looks to Phichit, oblivious to Viktor standing right behind him.

“Come here.” Yuuri beckons, scooting closer to the edge of the bed. 

Viktor stares at the now empty space, “You sure?”

“Very.” And because Viktor is a very, very weak man for the love of his life, he stands and occupies the space beside Yuuri, grinning as Yuuri takes his arms and wraps them around himself. Viktor kisses the top of Yuuri’s head as he lays it against his chest.

* * *

Yuuri leans heavily against Viktor as they walk into their apartment, refusing Viktor’s offers to carry him. He can walk just fine, sort of. He just needs to stop every couple minutes to keep his breathing steady and lean on his husband because every step hurts. He shouldn’t be walking, and Viktor has said as much, but he wants to show everyone who’s worried about him that he’s okay. He’s also too stubborn to admit he regrets not taking any of the help Viktor and the doctors offered.

Once inside their home, Viktor guides him to the couch, grabbing a blanket from their room and draping it over him. “Tea?” He asks, fussing over little things around the couch, like the empty water bottle on the table and the books strewn everywhere.

“Sure,” Yuuri watches Viktor, an amused smile on his face. He lets his eyes drift down to Viktor’s backside when he turns around, admiring the view.

“I know you’re staring at my ass, Yuuri.” Viktor says, swaying his hips.

“Just admiring the view is all.” Yuuri replies, his stare intensifying with Viktor’s movements. The next few weeks are going to be very hard on him, he’s sure. 

Viktor comes back with two cups of peppermint tea, handing Yuuri one while setting the other on the coffee table while he goes in search of the TV remote. “Have you seen the damn remote?” He asks, lifting up a couch cushion, “I swear we left it on the table.”

“I haven’t seen it.” Yuuri replies, sipping on the tea and wincing as it burns his tongue.

“I’m going to check to make sure you’re not sitting on it.” Viktor says, suddenly coming into Yuuri’s personal space. Not that he minds the closeness. In fact, he quite likes having Viktor’s face so close to his as he slides his hands between the couch cushions, searching. Viktor places a quick kiss to his lips, murmuring, “Found it.” as he stands up straight.

“You’re a tease.” Yuuri accuses, pointing a finger at him.

“Careful, I might bite your finger.” Viktor warns, taking a seat next to him while turning on the TV.

Yuuri curls his finger in and pouts, sighing. “What are we watching?”

“I don’t know. You decide.” Viktor answers, “We don’t have to deal with cramming on the couch with that traitor to watch something now.”

“How about something cheesy and romantic?” He suggests, gazing at Viktor.

“Okay. What’s cheesy and romantic that you want to watch?” 

“Maybe not so cheesy, but The Princess Bride?” 

“Ah yes, the movie that says ‘ _Since the invention of the kiss there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind.’_ Lies. Our kisses definitely beat theirs.” Viktor smiles, putting on the movie.

Yuuri tries very hard not to laugh, he really does, but Viktor’s got the stupidest, cutest heart shaped grin on his face as he puts the movie on, complaining how the writers wouldn’t say such a cheesy thing about Buttercup and Wesley if they knew about them, that he can’t help the laugh from coming out. He cringes, pain blossoming in his chest. Viktor is quick to turn his attention on him, fussing over his well being. Yuuri shoos his hands away, reassuring him he’s fine. His only problem is being so helplessly in love that his body physically can’t take it. 

“You know, it took me forever to realize ROUS’s were the same as Rodents of Unusual Size.” Yuuri admits.

“How did you not realize that…?” Viktor asks, chuckling.

“I don’t know. It just always slipped my mind.”

“Wow.”

“I’ve shared this information with you trusting you won’t tell Phichit.”

“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. Phichit will never know why I tell you what every acronym stands for.”

“Viktor!”

“I love you~”

“You are an absolute dork, you know that?”

“Yes, but I’m your dork. You consciously made the decision to deal with me on a daily basis.”

“And sometimes I wonder why I did such a thing.”

“Wow. My Yuuri is so mean!”

“I’m merely finishing what you started.”

“Inconceivable!”

“What?”

“I don’t know. Vizzini was just saying it and I thought it fit the situation.”

“It didn’t, but you tried, so I’ll give you that.”

“Thank you.”

Silence falls between them, both enjoying just being in each other’s presence. Yuuri watches Viktor more than he does the movie. To think, he had almost lost this...had almost had such moments taken from him...his chest aches. He’ll never take moments with his husband for granted.

“You know,” Viktor starts, “I’ve always wanted to have an Inigo Montoya moment. To go up to someone and say ‘you killed my father. Prepare to die.’”

“Why?” Yuuri asks, raising his eyebrows.

“It was just a really badass moment.” Viktor chuckles, shaking his head at himself.

“I hope you don’t have to say that to anyone.” Yuuri whispers, heart clenching at the thought of Viktor needing to take revenge like Inigo.

“No, not now that I’m a secret agent married to another secret agent.” Viktor agrees, holding him close. 

Yuuri thinks back to all that Viktor has told him about Cao Bin. How the man revealed the city they were located in for profit, how all the work and intel they’ve gathered about a possible security threat was all for nought because Cao Bin sold it all to various groups. Even the injury he sustained was staged to slow them down. Their fight about what to do was just an added bonus for the man, though he had been banking on Viktor being captured too. Yuuri finds himself being glad he walked out that night. He doesn’t want Viktor to experience what he had. 

“I think I’m in love with you.” He whispers, bringing Viktor’s attention away from the TV.

“I’m glad we’re on the same page. I find myself to be quite in love with you too.” Viktor purrs, shifting his body to face Yuuri more head on. 

Yuuri’s eyes flick down to Viktor’s lips, trying very hard to not think about how soft they always are. He knows he should be careful, his ribs need to heal, but his husband looks so very kissable right now. And really, has Yuuri ever been able to resist this man? If such a time comes, he’s surely been replaced with an imposter. “Kiss me.”

Viktor’s eyes search his face, looking for something Yuuri can only guess. He must have found it, because he’s leaning in and meeting Yuuri’s lips. Yuuri forgets about watching movies for the rest of the night.

* * *

Viktor’s dress shoes click as he walks along the tiled floor, taking long strides towards the elevators. His gun rests in its holster against his hip, a welcome weight on his side. He takes out his ID, tapping it against a hidden panel in the elevator. The animated voice welcomes him, a screen popping up with a new array of floor selections to choose from than what the physical buttons present. He chooses the lowest floor, vengeance rising in his chest as the elevator begins to move.

He steps out of the elevator, greeting the security guard that stands by it as he does so. He heads straight to the second door on the right, punching in a code on the keypad and scanning his thumbprint to open the door. 

Once inside, Viktor hears Cao Bin’s broken voice ask what it’ll be today. He smiles at the bloodied man, sinister and cold. He’s a predator about to pounce on its prey. The traitor’s mouth falls shut, no longer trying to explain that he has nothing left to say. Viktor takes his gun out, slowly taking the safety off.

“My name is Viktor Katsuki-Nikiforov.” He starts, finger resting just underneath the trigger, “You almost killed my husband. Prepare to die.” As he raises the gun, Cao Bin starts pleading, though his cries fall on deaf ears. Viktor stares him in the eyes as he pulls the trigger. “ _Dasvidaniya,_ Bitch.”


End file.
